Yugoslavia
History Background (1918-1992) Yugoslavia was formed after World War I when the Austria-Hungary Empire collapsed to nationalist movements. Yugoslavia was a Kingdom from 1918-1943. It was the collapse of the Kingdom that brought Yugoslavia into a communist dictatorship. Then on, it was not until 1989 when the rise of more nationalism erupted causing the Yugoslav Wars or the Yugoslav Civil War. Alija Izetbegović leader of Yugoslavia was under emense pressure in keeping Yugoslavia in unity. Re-establishment (1992-1995) Alija Izetbegović and the Yugoslav military fought the nationalists and prevented the civil war escalated more in a surprise surrender by the nationalist leaders. Alija Izetbegović then called for the re-establishment of Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was no more a "Communist Dictatorship" Alija Izetbegović made it clear for democracy to come. The Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia was first stripped of all the communist politicians. Then, on May 5, 1992 the Federal Assembly official named the "new" Yugoslavia... "The Democratic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia". Then the first election for the new nation was held 10 days later on May 15th. Alija Izetbegović won and was named the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. With in just days of being in office, Alija Izetbegović and the Federal Assembly started writing the constitution for the "new" Yugoslavia. But it wouldn't be till about a year later when the constitution was fully ratified. The Yugoslav Constitution contained very similar proportions to that of the United States Constitution. In 1994, 2 countries that tried to join Yugoslavia before when it was a communist nation, are looking to join the new republic. The Albanian and Bulgarian governments met with the Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia in Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia to discuss them joining. They had to agree on the newly developed constitution recently passed throughout the nation. And on Valentine's Day 1994, Albania and Bulgaria showed their love and joined Yugoslavia. Later that year the next election was held and Alija Izetbegović was re-elected for a second term. Shortly after his re-election, Alija Izetbegović and the Federal Assembly noticed cultural barriers between Yugoslavia and the new states Albania and Bulgaria. Language was the biggest and later that year a new language for the whole country was passed through the Federal Assembly. The language was a combination of all the states languages eventually names Yugoslav. Yugoslav was quickly shown on street signs, builboards, books and newspapers. Basically citizens had to learn the new language over night. This was very similar to what Kemal Atatürk did with Turkey way back 60 years before Alija Izetbegović. Many people got used to the laguage quickly but even today there are still some people who speak their native language in rural areas. Reconstruction (1995-2000) The Reconstruction Act was passed through the Federal Assembly in 1994 and would go in affect on January 1, 1995. The Reconstruction Acts mission was to rebuild war torn areas. For about a year and a half before hand, the Federal Assmebly and Alija Izetbegović would get questioned to when the rebuilding of the nation would start. One of the worst cities hit in the war was Sarajevo in the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina where car bombs during the Yugoslav Wars tore the city to shreds. New buildings and homes that were destroyed were re-built and not only in Bosnia but also in Serbia and Croatia. Most of the reconstruction ended in 2000 and the 5 year mission was basically complete. Shortly after that Alija Izetbegović announced that he would not be running to be re-elected for another term after winning terms 1994, 1996, and 1998. The 2000 election would be with new people. Industrial Growth (2000-incumbent) On May 15, 2000 just like any other May 15th that happens in the even years in Yugoslavia since 1992, an election takes place. This is the first election with out Alija Izetbegović in the running. This means someone totally new is going to win and be the second Prime Minister of the Democratic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Stjepan Mesić was the favorite and won the election in a landslide. One of Stjepan Mesić's big achievements was the "Growth Act". This was proposed to the Federal Assembly in Belgrade and passed quickly in 2001. This was basically a new industrial revolution for Yugoslavia. After 9/11, Stjepan Mesić even enforced the act more. The Federal Assembly bought over 100 factories to produce heavy industry and increased national security around the nation. Even though 9/11 did not happen in Yugoslavia they were preparing for anything. In 2002, Stjepan Mesić was re-elected for a second term. This time he pushed a new currency for the nation. Stjepan Mesić proposed for Yugoslavia to join the European Union and have the Euro as their main currency. Unfortanatley, it did not pass. He tried 4 more times and had the same turn out. Stjepan Mesić got criticism for this because he was basically stalling and enforcing the Federal Assembly to pass something that was not needed. Even though he didn't get his way tourism had a 150% increase in his second term. Stjepan Mesić ran again for the 2004 election and won this time by a narrow margain. Later that year Yugoslavia's biggest car manufacture went into bankruptcy for the second time since 2000. Stjepan Mesić convinced the Federal Assembly in Belgrade to loan Yugo 6 billion dollars to transform the brand. This resulted in a second generation Yugo GVX the VW Beetle or Ford Model T of the country. The new Yugo GVX sold over a million units around Yugoslavia and that solved and paid off all the debts they had. Mainly because of saving the Yugoslav auto industry in late 2004, Stjepan Mesić yet again ran for a 3rd term and won in 2006. In this term, the big issue was industry. More than ever. The Federal Assembly never laid attension to the problems brewing in manufacturing. People were getting low pay, they worked in poor conditions, and also had long hours. After a crash in the stock market, people protested in the streets. The Federal Assembly acted quickly and established the Yugoslav National Workers Union or (YNWU) which increased minimum wage to the equivalent of $7 USD, made better working conditions and enforced regulations throughout industry. It also prevented abuse throughout the work force. The YNWU also limited the amount if hours Yugoslavs worked and outlawed child labor. Because of all of this the Convertible Mark (National Currency) shot up incredibly and business, industry and the Yugoslav Stock Market started to boom! In 2008, Stjepan Mesić was elected for a 4th term being the longest serving Prime Minister so far. Later that year the United States economy started to fall. The heavy industry building was on it's own and the government had to cut down on production of military industry. And again Stjepan Mesić proposed a bill to join the European Union to the Federal Assembly. And again the Federal Assembly said no. Anger started filling the country. The Federal Assembly became divided. Manh thought that the EU was just going to be bad news. Amd they were right. In 2010, the Euro Dollar plumeted and Europe went into a recession a month before the election. Because of all of this Federal Assembly/Stjepan Mesić turmoil the public quickly changed minds in who they would vote for. Runninng for a 5th term in office, Stjepan Mesić is trying to keep his "Reform Party" in tact after the stalling in 2008 and 2009. Unfortanatley, he lost the 2010 election to Ivo Josipović. For the first time the Liberal Democratic Party became the majority if the Federal Assembly. Ivo Josipović quickly put his impact in office. The fastest growing industry in Yugoslavia was the auto industry and new companies needed money to build these cars. Doking, Rimac and Shayton got over $20 billion all together. Ivo Josipović and the Federal Assembly gambled on this loan and hope that there would be some success. Rimac and Shayton started selling bunches of their sports cars in the Middle East and the Docking XD became the best selling car in Yugoslavia. Taking over the thrown of the Yugo GVX. In 2012, he was re-elected for a second term. Ivo Josipović resumed industrialization of heavy industry with the United States. Yugoslavia at this point has the 10th largest military in the world and the largest standing military in the world. In 2013, when the Russian Federation passed laws against gay rights Ivo Josipović and the Federal Assembly passed laws to aid gays from Russia to settle in Yugoslavia. Later that year, Ivo Josipović announced a whole new revamp of Zagreb the 3rd largest city in Yugoslavia for a possible hosting of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Even with all this success Ivo Josipović brought to the nation in a short period of time, he stated on January 17, 2014, that he will not be running for a third term later this year. This means Yugoslavia will be voting in an election with a new slate of candidates since 2000. A new era could begin. Government In 1992, Yugoslavia turned from a Communist turmoil filled nation to a Democracy. The Federal Assembly was formed shortly after the Democratic Yugoslavia establishment. The Federal Assembly consists of 208 members (209 plus the Prime Minister). The leader of Yugoslavia is the Prime Minister who can serve an unlimited amount of 2 year terms. The Prime Minister acts similar to a president. Politics The Yugoslav Federal Assembly.png|The Yugoslav Federal Assembly (Југословенска Савезна cкупштина) Conservatives.jpg|Conservative Party (Конзервативна партија) Federalist Party.jpg|Federalist Party (Федералистичка странка) Green Part0.jpg|Green Party (Зелена партија) Independent Party.png|Independent Party (Независна странка) Liberal Democrats.jpg|Liberal Democratic Party (Либерално демократска партија) The Reform Party.jpg|Reform Party (реформска партија) SSrtiu.png|Socialist Party (Социјалистичка партија) United People's Party.jpg|United People's Party (Уједињена народна странка) Yugoslavia has 8 different political parties. The Yugoslav Federal Assembly is one of the most politically diverse governments in the world. The Yugoslav Federal Assembly consists of these political parties: -Conservative Party -Federalist Party -Green Party -Independent Party -Liberal Democrat Party -Socialist Party -Reform Party -United People's Party List of Prime Ministers 1. Alija Izetbegović.jpg|1. Alija Izetbegović 2. Stjepan Mesić.jpg|2. Stjepan Mesić 3. Ivo Josipović.jpg|3. Ivo Josipović Alija Izetbegović 1992- 2000 Stjepan Mesić 2000- 2010 Ivo Josipović 2010- incumbent Law and Order The law in Yugoslavia is based around The Yugoslav Constitution. Besides the Federal Assembly, there is also another branch of government that helps define what is constitutional and unconstitutional. The Federal Court is made up of 5 judges. Before these judges get a spot, they are background checked and are not allowed to be registrated for a political party. It sounds stupid, but this make sure that no judge is favoring one party. They can still vote for the Prime Minister during elections, but they can't be under a political party. Population Over Time 1992- 18,756,897 2002- 26,938,892 2012- 32,112,521 Foreign Relations Ever since the establishment of the Republic in Yugoslavia, the country has had higher foreign relations. Even though foreign relations have increased over the years, Yugoslavia prefers to be isolated from events in the Middle East or even in Europe. Yugoslavia's closest allies are the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Russia. Other allies include Romania, Greece, Ukraine, Hungary, and Austria. Yugoslavia has known to been a very shy nation when it comes to foreign affairs so they don't really have any enemies. But just in case, they have the largest standing military in the world and an allie that has the largest military in the world. Military After the fall of communism in Yugoslavia, the new republic ordered over 100 factories in the nation to produce heavy industry to strengthen their military. Yugoslavia went from having the 40th largest military in the world to 10th in the world. Yugoslavia's military is split into 5 divisions: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard This military system is very similar of that to the United States. And even though they have the 10th spot for largest militaries in the world, Yugoslavia hasn't been in a war since their Civil War. Yugoslavia is the largest standing military. Geography and Climate Yugoslavia has a vast mountainous climate. Mountains are located in the State of Slovenia and State of Macedonia. The Yugoslav Plains are located in the State of Serbia and State of Bulgaria. Yugoslavia also has cold winters and warm summers. All of Yugoslavia's 10 states have received snowfall in the same year for over 30 years. Yugoslavia's record snowfall was in the State of Slovenia with over 7 feet of snow in one day. Culture Yugoslavia has always been known for its vast diverse culture. The Formation of Yugoslavia's new culture after the Yugoslav Wars was a tough barrier to fix. One struggle was that there were 7-8 different languages in the country after the Yugoslav Wars. To keep the country united and to prevent any type of nationalism the Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia passed a new language called Yugoslav. Which was a mix of many if the languages including Bulgarian, Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian but with cyrillic writing. Shortly after the Federal Assembly passed the new language, Yugoslav was all over the country. It filled street signs, advertisments, magazines, and even in television. Many people adapted to the new langauge quickly and it has become most recognized throughout the country. Yugoslav people are very touchy feely people. They always use direct eye contact with you when you talk to them. Many of them love speaking of their national heritage. Whether they are from Albania, Kosovo, or Serbia they recognize those as states and Yugoslavia as one united nation. Whether you are a man or a woman, greetings are always with a hug and a patting on the other person's back. In states like Bosnia, Croatia, or Serbia it is common to see both men and women kissing on each cheek to greet the other person. When you negotiate with a Yugoslav and confirm a deal on something you give a handshake, followed by a hug and a pat on the other persons back. The Yugoslav culture still has very traditional aspects to it. For an example while fast food is common in many countries, it is not that common in Yugoslavia. More traditional foods are found in Yugoslavia. Musaka is the national food of Yugoslavia which contains breaded eggplant, ham and peppers. It is also common to see lamb in many Yugoslav foods. Urban Yugoslavia is very different from rural Yugoslavia. In most of Yugoslavia urban families have more money than rural families. Yugoslavia is not like the United States where they have cities, suburbs, and rural areas. In Yugoslavia it's just mostly cities and rural areas. Farms can be found just outside of cities like Belgrade or Sarajevo, or far away in remote areas on mountains in Slovenia or Macedonia. States State of Albania.png|State of Albania (Држава Албанија) State of Bosnia and Herzegovina.png|State of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Држава Босна и Херцеговина) State of Bulgaria.png|State of Bulgaria (Државна Бугарске) State of Croatia.png|State of Croatia (Држава Хрватска) State of Kosovo.png|State of Kosovo (Држава Косово) State of Macedonia.png|State of Macedonia (Држава Македонија) State of Montenegro.png|State of Montenegro (Држава Црна Гора) State of Serbia.png|State of Serbia (Држава Србија) State of Slovenia.png|State of Slovenia (Државна Словеније) State of Vojvodina.png|State of Vojvodina (Државна Војводине) The Democratic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is made up of 10 states: -Albania -Bosnia and Herzegovina -Bulgaria -Croatia -Kosovo -Macedonia -Montenegro -Serbia -Slovenia -Vojvodina Major Cities Belgrade Sofia Zagreb Tirana Skopje Pristina Sarajevo Plovdiv Varna Novi Sad Ljubljana Banja Luka Economy Besides having a large military, Yugoslavia also has a fast growing economy. Yugoslavia's currency is the Convertible Mark which has grown a lot in value with the economy. While Belgrade is the capital of Yugoslavia, Sofia, also the largest city, is the economic epicenter of Yugoslavia. In recent years, there have been rumors of Yugoslavia changing it's currency from the Convertible Mark to the Euro. But every time the Federal Assembly has proposed a bill like that, it doesn't pass through. Doking XD.png|Doking XD (Докинг КСД) Rimac.jpg|Rimac ZR (Римац ЗР) Shayton Equilibrium.jpg|Shayton Equillibrium (Схаитон Екуиллибриум) Yugo.jpg|Yugo GVX Blizzard (Иуго ГВКС Близзард) One industry that is helping the growth of Yugoslavia's economy is the automotive industry. Yugoslavia has 4 automotive companies: -Doking -Rimac -Shayton -Yugo Doking and Yugo make up most of the automotive shares out of the 4. Rimac and Shayton's biggest markets are in the Middle East especially in the United Arab Emirates. Future Yugoslav Progressive Act Passed in late 2013, the Yugoslav Progressive Act will dictate the future of Yugoslavia as a nation. Yugoslavia will continue to build it's military with a goal by the end of the decade having the 2nd largest military in the world. This includes building more high tech miltary bases around the country, and new federal government opperated military factories around the country that will produce anything from small basic weapons to heavy industry. Yugoslavia will also change its education system. Instead of starting school at age 5, students will start school at age 8. Yugoslavia also will have only 1 standardized test throughout high school and a no entrance exams in college. The Yugoslav Progressive Act also includes the building of more infastructure around the country. By 2020 Yugoslavia expects cities like Belgrade, Sofia, Zagreb and even the smaller Sarajevo to grow over 30% more in size. New infastructure like apartment buildings and homes will be built to prevent crowding in the nation. Also new roads and the a museum dedicated to the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo will be built. Also in Belgrade a Yugoslav War Memorial Center will be built. The Yugoslav Progressive Act will show the improvements for the nation as soon as 2020. Yugoslavia could become a lot more prosperous when this is all finished. Olympic Bid Recently Prime Minister Ivo Josipović has announced that Yugoslavia will be bidding to host the Olympics in the near future. Ivo Josipović claims that Yugoslavia is developed enough and some of the cities are eligible in hosting the Olympics. The last Olympics Yugoslavia hosted was in 1984 in Sarajevo. Ivo Josipović stated that Yugoslavia will bid for Zagreb to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. Zagreb is the third largest city in Yugoslavia and has hosted numerous amounts of winter events in their stadiums. Ivo Josipović states that the 2026 Winter Olympics should bring millions of tourists to the nation and that Yugoslavia needs to host something big like this. If Yugoslavia doesn't win the bid for Zagreb, what will they do next? Ivo Josipović has said the possibilty of Ljubljana bidding for the 2030 Olympics would be greater if they don't get Zagreb.